I had always been a thin person. I was the only thin person in my family. I could eat anything and everything I wanted without gaining an ounce. Fast forward to 2009 when at the age of 29, I became pregnant with my son, Sawyer. My body changed in ways I had never imagined possible.
Everything grew, seemingly in every direction other than height. I didn't really think anything of it. I decided that I would breastfeed the weight away. I'd be busy chasing after a young one and that would burn the weight away.
Sometimes things don't always go as planned. I lost Sawyer 26 weeks into the pregnancy and my life went into a total tailspin. Gone were all of my hopes and dreams of motherhood, of my husband and I starting our family. The only thing didn't go away was the weight. And it has stayed with me for these past 5 years.
I've tried several different workouts and a few different diets. Nothing has budged more than a pound or two. I'm at the same weight I was pregnant, when I packed on 50 pounds. It's a daily, constant reminder.
I finally hit a point where something had to give. Over the past two years I'd been watching a childhood friend transform her entire life, her family's life, through Beachbody and products like Shakeology and P90X, which honestly scared the crap out of me. I was fascinated and tried Shakeology. I loved it, but felt like I couldn't commit to at that time.
I was terrified of the workouts. They seemed too hard and I felt like I was too out of shape to do them, despite the fact that I worked out at the gym a few days a week, including weight lifting and water aerobics.
I realize now that I wasn't in the right head space yet to take this challenge on. Two long years later, I found myself still overweight, still unhappy, still feeling crappy almost every day. I decided it was time to start working on my emotional baggage. Then I saw a few posts about PiYo, a new program from Beachbody, and it immediately caught my attention. I realized it was time to start working on my physical baggage.
I wanted to gain strength, tone my body and lose weight. PiYo is for those who want to lose weight and burn fat without the high-impact jumps or complex choreography found in some cardio programs, things I'd always struggled with. This got me more excited about a workout than I had been in a long time.
That same childhood friend was chosen as a test group of coaches before PiYo was released. Her results were amazing! After a few days debate, I decided it was time for a change and took a leap of faith by not only ordering my PiYo Challenge Pack with Shakeology, but I also signed up as a coach.
I've already taken one scary step: before photos and measurements. It was hard. I don't like anyone taking my picture. Seeing how far I have to go is tough, but I know that it will make the victory that much sweeter.
I'm hoping my story will help inspire others to take steps to better their health, too, despite whatever has happened that they feel is holding them back. I know it won't always be easy, but I am not only determined, I also have an amazing support group through my coach, Mindy, and the network of people I've already met through this process. The support is there for everyone.
I started this blog to document my journey into fitness and help with my accountability. I hope to discover new strength within myself throughout this process in addition to gaining fitness and health. Thanks for joining me!!
